Save money, energy, resources and CO2 instead of buying a new pair by making those training shoes last longer. Here are some rules for rejuvenating them:
- Get rid of the mud and grit from the sole first
- Do they have a label which says “Don’t machine wash”? Then it has to be done by hand
- To wash trainers in a machine, don’t put them in on their own. The bashing around will damage them. Wash them with a towel or bath mat, for instance
- Take the insoles out if they will come out and hand clean or replace them
- Take the laces out and wash them by hand or in a net bag in the machine, white laces with a white wash etc – otherwise they hide dirt
- Use a cool temperature in the machine
- Best to use a liquid laundry detergent because the powder might not dissolve properly in cold water, leaving specs of powder in the inside of the trainers – if you have no liquid stuff, dissolve your washing powder in a glass of hot water before putting it in the machine (this should be a professional tip)
- Don’t use so much laundry detergent for a small load
- Don’t put them on the radiators or in the drier, they’ll get damaged – stuff them with newspaper and change it a couple of times.
This information was culled from Which?
